In the world of bad legislation, no news is good news. We are unlikely to see headlines that say "Bad Bill Defeated Once and For All." Instead, bills that don't get passed die quiet deaths. They don't make it out of committee. They don't get placed on any calendar. Nobody ever votes on them.
Bow and I were on pins and needles for a while there, but all our friends in the field have confirmed it: nothing happened with Missouri HB284. And in the world of bad legislation, nothing is golden.
"Hearing not scheduled" and "Bill currently not on a House calendar" is the best that we can hope for. We are content.
But think of all the energy and hard work that had to go into making this "nothing" happen! I would like to thank the people who testified before the committee, and all those who wrote and sent emails and faxes and who called to help defeat HB284. And I want to thank those who remain ever vigilant, lest this same legislation get tacked onto some other bill.
There is something broken with our system when people have to work so hard to keep a bad law from being enacted. It should be easier to repeal a law than it is to enact one. But in the current political world, we are always on the defensive. Ordinary citizens minding their own business don't have time to fight back. We can barely hold our ground.
But anyway, today we celebrate. And what are we celebrating? That thankfully, so far, nothing bad has happened! Let the celebrations begin! And thanks everybody!
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Whatever you were eating with Bow looks good.
ReplyDeleteIt was vanilla ice cream with cashews and chocolate sprinkles. It was good! I will have a post about it on The Feast Before Us a little later today, after the video uploads to YouTube.
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